Objective: Describing profiles for professional psychiatric service categories in Ribeirão Preto.
Method: This was an exploratory study of 8 services (3 hospitals and 5 extra-hospital facilities). Data was collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with professionals who worked for all these services.
Results: 74 % of the professionals working for the eight services investigated took part in the study. Doctors and nurses predominated in the hospitals and multidisciplinary teams in extra-hospital facilities. Ages ranged from 24 to 68, females predominating (73 %). 127 (88 %) of the 144 subjects in this study had received specific education after graduating in their respective areas but only 48.5 % had studied mental health. Doctors (42/44) and nurses (36/42) predominated in the teams; 121 (83 %) earned over R$ 1,000 per month as their salary.
Discussion: The teams mainly consisted of doctors and nurses, although it was considered that other professionals were important in constituting such teams. One of the main problems hampering reform in the psychiatric field is how services are provided for the population. No country has been able to make the necessary reforms for overcoming all the barriers. The service network studied met the minimum prerequisites for providing psychiatric care for the community.